Railroad switoe and signal operating



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. I. RANDOLPH. RAILROAD SWITCH AND SIGNAL OPERATING APPLIANCE.

Patented July 8, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' I. RANDOLPH.

RAILROAD SWITCH AND SIGNAL OPERATING APPLIANCE. No. 431,726. Patented July 8, 1890.

' on railroads as a means for operating switches,w

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

ISHAM RANDOLPH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-SWITCH AND SIGNAL-OPERATING APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,726, dated July 8, 189i).

Application filed February 17, 1890. Serial No- 34(l,'792. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISHAM RANDOLPH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement' in Appliances for Operating Railroad Switches, Signals, and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved appliance which may be used with advantage in various connections for different purposes, but which I have devised especially for use signals, detector-rails, and the like. WVhile the foregoing title, therefore, is selected for the sake of brevity and as indicating the purpose for which my improvement is especially designed, it is not to be understood as indicating the only uses of which my improvement is susceptible; nor do I wish to be understood as intending to limit it to such particular connection for its application.

The construction in which my improved appliance consists involves, in its broadest sense, a cam-bar adapted to be reciprocated lengthwise and confined laterally, and which bar, by moving it longitudinally in either direction through a predetermined distance, imparts motion to a crank or lever, which the bar at a given point disengages from the cam and locks, and the further movement of which bar 1n the same direction causes its cam to' re-engage the crank or lever and-move the latter until the play in that direction of the bar is completed. The movement of the cambar in the opposite direction from thatdescribed produces the same'motions of the;

ance for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 410,332 were granted me on the 3d day of September, 1889.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in the nature of a diagram, showing my'improvement as operatively applied to a railroad detector-bar and switch; Fig. 2, a section taken on the line 2 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow and enlarged; Fig. 3, a broken view in the direction of the arrow at 3 on Fig. 1 of the outer side of the rail and detector-bar mechanism applied to it, being an enlarged representation over that in the'first figure; Fig. 4, a plan view of my improved appliance, showing the cam-bar and leverin one of their extreme relative positions; Fig. 5, a similar view of the same, showing the cambar and lever in their intermediate relative positions, wherein the lever is locked, and thereby, also, thedet-ector-bar in its raised position; and Fig. 6, a plan sectional view of my improved appliance, showing the cam-bar and lever in the other of their extreme relative positions.

My improved appliance A involves as the details of its construction a bed-plate A, having guides, preferably in the form of ordinary flanged guide-rollers a" 1", in pairs at opposite sides of its center, preferably near the opposite ends of the bed-plate, as shown, a crank arm or lever B, imposed upon the bed-plate to extend crosswise thereof and fulcrumed thereto, as at 13, being provided at or near the end adjacent to the side of the bedplate, having the guide 'r, with stops q and q, preferably in the form of flanged rollers, like the guide-rollers already described, and a bar C, having a tongue 19, extending from the edge nearest the end of the lever B, provided with the stops, and notches 0 and o" in its edge at opposite sides of the tongue, the notches'being sufficiently wide to admit the stops q and'q and of a depth about corresponding with the extent of the predetermined movement of the lever B from its right-angular position with reference to the base A, the notches being preferably rounded at their bases to conform to the shape of the roller form of the said stops employed. The lever B may have a lateral branch n, with the end no or without the latter, or the branch 11 maybe omitted and only the end an provided, the provision of both serving aminor .purpose, hereinafter described. The bar C is confined at its edges between the guides rat the one side and the guides r at the other.

The device thus described may be placed in operative'position at the side of arailro'adtrack E, preferably near the switch E, and at the outer side of the track.

D is the detector mechanism, which may involve any ordinary or suitable construction,

all the toggles being connected and operative together at their joints by a bar i, which may be termed the draw-bar, whereby movement of the latter lengthwise a certain distance in either direction straightens all the toggles and lifts the detector-bar to extend above the rail '0, and movement thereof beyond such distance or in the oppositedirection bends the toggles, and thereby lowers the detector-bar to its normal position. A bar 2', pivotally secured at its center in horizontal position, as indicated in Fig. 1, forms .a connecting medium between the draw-bar t of the detector mechanism and the lever B, being connected from one end with the former through a rod t" at an eye 25 on the drawbar and with the latter through a rod 2' The connection of the rod 71 with the lever B may be either at the end m or branch 01., as will best serve convenience in the particular relative location of parts of the mechanism.

Though my improved device may be applied to the switch E by various means to render it operative in its purpose, I prefer to apply it through the medium of the appliance F, for which Letters Patent have already been granted me, as aforesaid, and which, briefly described, involves the following construction A bed-plate w, supportinga horizontally-reciprocating bar w, confined between guides 10 and u, the first-named carrying antifriction rollers bearing against the adjacent edge of the reciprocating bar, recessed as shown, and a toggle-lever G, having the arms 8 and s pivotally connected at one end with the bar to and joined at their other or free ends, provided with elongated slots, by a bar sflpivoted at its center to the bed-plate and engaging at its opposite ends through studs with the elongated slots in the ends of the toggle-bars. A connecting-bar H connects the toggle-lever device with the switch E.

With my improvement applied in the manner thus described the bar w of the device F may form a link connected by a suitable medium 72/ (rod, wire, cable, or the like) with a similar medium h, passed around a stationary pulley 9 beyond the appliance A, and connected at its ends with the lever system (not shown, but forming a well-known arrangement for operating switches) at the opcrating-station.

The operation is then as follows: By pulling uponthe connecting medium h in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 the bar 0 (with the other parts of my improved device and of the mechanisms connected therewith in the relative positions illustrated) is accordingly moved lengthwise, provided there .be no .car or train of cars on the rail 1) of the track E, though if there be a car or train of cars on the track the detector-bar It will be stopped against rising under the strain on the medium h, thereby also obstructing operation of the appliances F and A, the detector then exercising the function of a lock against throwing of the switch E. If the conditions, however, permit the barO to be moved as de scribed, the notch 0 therein engaging with the stop q on the crank or lever B, turns the latter on its pivot 00 until the said stop, owing to the are described by the lever B is moved out of the notch 0', which, according to the relative arrangement of parts, takes place when the lever reaches a position at or about at a right angle to the base A. This movement of the lever B turns the pivoted bar 11 through the medium of the rod 2' and through the rod 71 pulls upon the draw-bar t of the detector device D, straightening the toggles t, and thereby effecting the rise of the detector-bar 7c. The described movement of the bar 0 draws with it the bar w of the device F, and through the toggle device G- thereof and connecting-bar l-I throws the switch E. As soon as the stop g has left the notch 0', the bar 0, by continuing the pull upon it, continues to movein the same direction to complete the throw of the switch without continuing the movement of the lever B, which is locked in its right-angular position referred to by the straight portions of the outer edge of the bar 0 at opposite sides of the notches o and 0 moving against the stops q and g, which are then in line with the guides 0 as shown in Fig. 5, and, since they in that position, prevent the lever B from being turned by the strain upon it of the weight of the detector-bar 7c exerted through the mechanism connecting it with thelever B, the locking of the latter by its stops q and q being against the straight portions of the edge of the bar 0, also looks the toggles t against bending or collapsing at their joints under the weight of the detector-bar, which is thus held in its raised position until the switch is almost halfway thrown. On the tongue 19 coming in contact with the stop q, since the tongue projects the required distance beyond the adjacent edge of the bar 0, continuation of the longitudinal movement of the latter turns the lever B until the stop q enters fully into the notch 0, this turning of the lever effecting, through the bar 'i and its connections t and 2', sufficient strain on the draw-bar t to cause it to bend the toggles t toward their opposite collapsed condition, (represented by dotted lines in Fig. 3,) the weight of the detector-bar, after such bending of the toggles has once been started, assisting the continuation of their collapsion to lower the detector-bar to its normal position, and thus reducing the strain required to be exerted on the initial switch-operating 1e ver system (hereinbefore referred to as not being shown) for effecting the complete throw of the switch.

To produce the throw of the switch E in the opposite direction from that described, the necessary strain on the connecting medium It has obviously to be exerted in the direction contrary to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. I, when the parts perform their functions in the manner explained, but in the contrary direction.

As will be seen, the bar 0, owingto its construction and the manner of its operation, is in the nature of a cam-bar.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an appliance A, the combination of a cam-bar O, confined laterally and movable longitudinally between guides rand 0", and a lever B, fulcrumed in place to extend across the cam-bar and provided at its end beyond the cam side of the bar 0 with stops q and q, engaging with the said side of the cambar at opposite sides of the cam thereon and forming with the cam-bar a lock for the lever against its movement in either direction, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an appliance A, the combination of a base A, a cam-bar O, confined laterally and movable longitudinally between guides 1" and r, a lever B, fulcrumed toward one end to the base at one side of the cam-bar and extending at its opposite end beyond the cam-bar and there provided with stops q and q, bearing against the cam side of the bar C at opposite sides of the cam thereon and forming with the cam-bar alock for the lever against its movement in either direction, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an appliance A, the combination of a base A, a cam-bar O, confined laterally and movable longitudinally between guides a and r, and a lever B, provided with a branch it near its end m and fulcrumed near the said end to the base at one side of the cam-bar extending across the latter and provided at its opposite end with stops q and q, engaging with the cam side of the bar 0 at opposite sides of the cam thereon and forming with the cam-bar a lock for the lever against its movement in either direction, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In an appliance A, the combination of a bar 0, provided in one side with the notches 0 and 0' and the intermediate tongue 19, and confined laterally and movable longitudinally between guides r and r, and a lever B, fulcrumed in place to extend across the bar 0 and provided at its end adjacent to the notched side of the said bar with stops q and q, engaging with the said notched side of the bar 0, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. An appliance A, comprising, in combination, a base A, a bar 0, confined laterally and movable longitudinally between guides 1" and r on the base and provided in one side 7 and provided in one side with notches 0 and 0' and the intermediate tongue 19, the said bar being connected from opposite ends, re-

spectively, with the switch and operating mechanism, and a lever B, fulcrumed at one side of the bar 0 to the base A and connected with the detector device and extending across the said bar and provided at its end adjacent to the notched side of the bar with stop-rollers q and q, the whole being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

ISHAM RANDOLPH.

In presence of J. W. DYRENFORTH, M. J. Fnosr. 

